Saturday Morning Chit Chat – Invisibility Cloak, Magic or Mayhem?

So I haven’t done one of these in a while and I wasn’t really planning on this one either but how could I resist an invisibility cloak? Yes, that’s right, researchers are getting closer to perfecting the invisibility cloak. I mean, come on, an invisibility cloak AND Google glasses during my lifetime? I could be Hermione Granger, it’s clearly just a question of time before they hand me a magic wand and a message owl.

For those of you in the know, those clever few who knew that they had tested this technology back in 2006, you could have said something. If you’re like me and only came across this story in November, WOW!!

Imagine, an invisibility cloak of your very own. Where would you go, what would you see? Imagine the possibilities. Hmm…kinda creepy come to think of it. I mean, where would you go? What would you want to see that you didn’t want other people seeing you see? Imagine the disturbing possibilities.

Maybe the invisibility cloak would be better for hiding valuables and not people. Perhaps that should be it’s primary purpose, but you know there’s bound to be someone who wants to slip it on and go somewhere they are not allowed to go and hear, see or learn something they would never be allowed to otherwise. An invisibility cloak would have endless possibilities in military application. It would also be useful for domestic policing. Strangely as I consider the possibilities I’m feeling less like Hermione.

I suppose at this point I should explain how the technology works, but that would completely defeat the purpose. A magic cloak should be…well-magical. There’s also that small detail that they haven’t managed to perfect the technology. They are exploring it from different angles, but complete invisibility continues to elude researchers. At this stage invisible is really a question of the angle you are standing at and maybe that’s a good thing.

At first thought it might be helpful, in particular as an introvert, if I could show up at some networking event in the cloak, size things up, and then just leave undetected – if I wanted to. That would be actually somewhat freeing.

But then thinking it through, that might only be a mask of sorts.

I don’t know. Not sure I like it or not. Thanks for playing though Debra!

Interesting thought about how it might be used by an introvert, while you could test the waters, I think you’re right in concluding that it would eventually become a barrier. I don’t know about this one either Patricia, but I’m more disturbed now than I was when I initially read about it.

If I had an invisibility cloak I would want to use my powers for good, though I’m not sure who I could spy on in Idaho for such powers to go much good. It would also be cool to be able to get into concerts and Broadway shows for free 🙂

I cannot think of any good that would come of this and after reading Catarina’s comment, it scares the living heck out of me!
It’s fun to think of pranks and such and have a laugh, but pranks have a way of getting out of control and there are too many weirdo’s out there who want to do more harm than good. So I hope they don’t actually perfect it.

Hi Debra: Yes, technology is advancing to rapidly it’s unfathomable to think what might still occur in our lifetimes! My grandmother lived to be 101. She had come from a farm in Ukraine to Canada in approx 1905 and I can only imagine what an amazing array of changes she saw within her lifetime.

Doreen when I reflect on my own lifetime I am amazed. Video, DVD, blue ray, walkmans, portable phones, smart phones, fax machines, internet, personal computers…I could go on, but none of these were around when I was a kid. Come to think of it, invisibility seems kind of tame when I put all of that in perspective.

You are right Debra, the possibilities are limitless and scary. All of us need a little sense of privacy and the thought of people lurking 24/7 may push the least paranoid of us over the edge. Just sayin’… It is amazing though how far technology has advanced over the last century,

There are times Mark when I wonder if we don’t need to spend a little more time asking the question, why are we researching this and less time contemplating what we will do with the results. Still, invisibility holds an irresistible if frightening appeal

When you are a woman in Saudi Arabia you can be invisible. All you need to do is cover yourself completely and become a wandering black object. Have tried and it did not give me a kick.Having said that some Saudi women do all kinds of things that would otherwise not have been possible when they are wandering black objects.

Because of having lived there and seen how Al Queda and other such organisations have gained from disguising themselves as wandering black objects I am completely against an invisibility cloak. A lot of innocent people will die if that kind of invention is allowed in society.

Agree that from a selfish point of view it would be useful. But imagine having someone in your room without knowing:-)

Marconi who invented the radio was a friend of my godmother’s. He also invented a machine that picked up the voices of dead people. The US government bought it to make sure it was never released because people would panick. Sincerely think governments should do the same with the invisibility cloak. It’s too dangerous to be allowed.

Excellent example Catarina and certainly a frightening one. I have no problem contemplating all the ways that invisibility can be misused. I have to hope that governments would indeed step in and limit use, but the trouble of course is who watches what government does?

I guess a lot of meetings (of any sort) would take place behind closed and locked doors – and even after you’re locked in, you’d want to wildly twirl around the room with arms flailing (and maybe crawl under tables while waving arms in front of you) to make sure no one snuck in before the lock went on. That’d certainly be one way to break the ice before every important meeting. 🙂

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahhaha…I’d be twirling away. Can you imagine how paranoid you’d become in an environment that had invisibility as a reality? I shudder to think what airport security would become.

I laughed when I read this. There are times when I’d like to run out of the house to pick something up without getting dressed up. An invisibility cloak would make things much easier…until I got to the check out of course.

Yikes! I am both fascinated and scared by the whole prospect. The first thing that comes to mind is being able to hear what a prospective agent is saying as/or after he/she reads the submission for my novel. What exactly prompts the form rejection letter? Ha! I guess the same would hold true if one were interested in hearing what goes into a performance evaluation at work…the things they don’t or can’t legally tell you. Scary in that it would be rife with opportunity for abuse! Which may be why it might never come to market. Spying…for sure. 🙂 Very cool to think about, though!

I’m not sure my imagination stretches to all the possible ways I could get into trouble trying to listen in on conversations like the ones you described. The potential for abuse is pretty astounding. Then of course there is consideration for the conversations I have had that I would not want overheard. It could definitely spawn multiple lawsuits if it were on the market.

Happy to chat with you on a Saturday morning, Debra.
My impulse is to turn the invisibility concept on its head. For instance, I think the reason that tattoos and piercings have become so popular is that people feel TOO invisible to each other, especially in densely populated cities. The markings and metal are designed to create high visibility. I think the deep, secret desire of most people is to actually be seen. Being seen and known by others makes us rich in what matters, whatever our income level.

Me, I don’t feel a need for an invisibility cloak. I enjoy being visible, seen and known. Otherwise, I wouldn’t spend so much time blogging. 🙂 Speaking of which, congratulations on your first-year blogging anniversary, Debra.

What a great perspective Alison. Tattoos, blogs and perhaps the whole of social media definitely speaks to a collective need to be seen and heard, but I sometimes think that social media still provides cover. It allows you to say and be a certain person, but that person does not have to reflect who you really are. An invisibility of a different kind.

First time i hear about invisible cloak. I see how it can be used for military purposes – but as always, there are 2 sides of the coin. I bet you and I are thinking of good use for military purposes, but i guess there can be twice as bad uses of it, too – for “military” purposes… Mixed feeling about this thing.

To your question – i thought – hm, where i would use one, really?! It took me good 2 minutes to think of something – so i guess i don’t really need it! LOL But i would probably use it to sneak in to airplanes to explore countries which i otherwise couldn’t afford to fly to (yet) – how does this sound? Seems like a fair use and not harming anybody 😛

Travelling would be cool. I think I would also spend time in places like museums and galleries, just soaking up the items without having people getting in the way or or guards hustling me out or telling me to back up. 🙂

An invisibility cloak in my hands would lead to more trouble than one man should be allowed to get into. Does that make sense? To put it another way, I have to wonder if my discretion would be able to win out against my desire for mischief.

That’s a good one to hit first. I can’t say I wouldn’t be tempted to visit the girls locker room. Of course I am referring to WMU. Keeping it all above board with adults mind you. But isn’t that every teenage boy’s fantasy anyway.

I am both fascinated and a bit creeped out. It had ramifications that aren’t so cool in the wrong hands.

What would I do with one? I really don’t know. Driving to the store would be fun because it would appear to driving itself. Can you imagine the looks? Maybe play hide and seek with the kids and grand kids. They would love that.

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